Obligatory Election Blogging, Part I...
I kinda have to do this because everyone else is. I know, I know -- if everyone else were jumping off bridges, etc, etc. Then again, I have so much mental energy invested in this thing I would be remiss if I didn;t give ya a blow-by-blow of what's happening today as the Nation goes to the voting booth.

As of 1:00 PM, EST:

- Two polling places in a heavily-Republican district in New Jersey were attacked by a sicko who ran in, tossed white powder in the air, and quickly ran out. The white powder has been identified as salt in one of these attacks, and the other is still pending. Eveacuations and hazmat teams were precautions, and no one apparently, is hurt. However, this will hold up voting for several hours in both pool stations and I can almost guarentee that Republicans (if they're worth their...ahem...salt) will be in a courtroom immediately to ensure that lost time is made up, despite mandatory poll-closing times. I'll give ya one guess as to what political-affiliation the lone lunatic has, allegedly.

- In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home of the 104% voter turnout in 2000, poll-watchers have found four voting machines with votes on them before the polls even opened. Approximately 2000 votes were recorded before Election Day even started. If I had to take a guess, the overwhelming majority of those votes (say 1999-1, have to make it look fair) were for Kerry. Philadelphia is rapidly becoming the new Chicago.

- Also in Philadelphia, there are reports of a gun being displayed and presumably used to intimidate people, although it is not clear if the targets were voters or poll workers. No new information on this is available yet.

- The early returns from Ohio tend to indicate the state is leaning towards Bush. More on this as the day goes on.

- In South Dakota, Sentaor Tom Daschle (Dashole) attempted to sue his way back into office before the polls even opened last night. His claim was based on reports of republican voter intimidation at SD's indian reservations in 2000. This intimidation amounted to taking down license plate numbers (5 of them), taking notes at polling places and rolling eyes at folks. The only witness called by Daschle was a formerDean campaign worker from Iowa, who was never in SD before yesterday. The idea is to have republican pollwatchers kicked out of reservation polling places. If I recall, there was a huge scandal in 2000 about Indian votes being bought (for cash) by Gore supporters. Perhaps Tom has the same idea? P.S. The judge in this case is a good friend of Daschle and is the guy who helped him sue his way into office in 1978 in the first place. Let's watch this one closely.

- Reports from Wisconsin indicate that someone slashed the tires of 30 vehicles intended to get republican voters to the polls. If I had to guess, these 30 vegicles would have transported the blind, the crippled and the sick to exercise their sacred right to vote. I wonder, if in all the almost-certain-post-election-turmoi, when African-Americans and loser democrats yell, scream and cry about "disenfranchisement", that they will even remoember or acknowledge what they did to the elderly and sick of Milwaukee this morning. In effect, these people will have a more difficult time getting to the polls. Wouldn't that be disenfranchisement?

- In a related story, also from Wisconsin, asssumed-republicans retaliated by blocking the driveway to a Kerry campaign office and spitting on vehicles. I'm waiting on reports to come in on the expected, nasty snowball fight and perhaps the round of short-sheeting and reciprocal panty raids later in the evening.